Geeking out, I am: What the nerdification of mainstream means for brands

Illustration credit: Anirban BoraThirty-one year old Jatin Varma is as angry as the Hulk with Shah Rukh Khan. For it's Khan's film Dilwale that stormed theatres and delayed the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in India by a week. Despite an overly ambitious online petition to revoke the decision in time for Indians to partake in what is undoubtedly one of the biggest global events in entertainment. So the world watched with unrestrained glee, drunk on mass hysteria fuelled by a glut of coverage, the sci-fi franchise's seventh episode; while Indian fans declared their contempt for Khan and the other usurper, Bajirao Mastani and set up impenetrable spoiler-blocks on social media. Some even resorting to blocking and then 'unfriending' those committing "spoiler jihad".

When the film does hit screens, Varma and his friends, cosplaying as characters from the series, plan to block an entire section of a multiplex to watch the epic tale in peace. The merry company of Jedis, Wookiees, Stormtroopers and Dark Lords, however, is not alone in its passionate reverence of the galactic saga that began in 1977. At the official Star Wars party this year, hundreds of Yodas, Chewbaccas, Vaders, Solos, and Leias showed up; forming neat lines resembling those outside Apple stores on the eve of a new iSomething launch, for a chance to sit in the Battle Pod. "Just queues everywhere. Like at airport check-in counters in the morning," says Varma. He is what one would call a fanboy. More proof of the credential is a rare Lego Death Star, the moon-sized weapon that can destroy a planet with a single strike, one he went through tremendous trial to acquire, and an enviable collection of Yoda-theme socks. Moreover, as the founder of ComicCon India he has not only a front-row seat but is one of the drivers of the geekolution here.

Rise of the Geekonomy

Geekdom is no longer a refuge for the ones we facetiously called "Einstein"; the intelligent, the studious, the computer geeks, the engineering dorks and anyone who thinks Scrabble is religion or reads for fun. What was once a subculture of like-minded individuals feeding off each other's seemingly weird and "boring" interests is now pop culture, which many hundred millions across the world call their own. The Internet and social media allowed people, irrespective of their provenance, to easily find more members of their tribe; human structures built around common interests and obsessions, be it Wayne, Spock, Sherlock or the Doctor, Dungeons & Dragons or Settlers of Catan.

"What was once marginalized and often ridiculed is now idolized and consistently celebrated across all aspects of popular culture and entertainment," says Steve Rotterdam, co-founder of New York based Bonfire Agency, a 'full-service marketing firm primarily dedicated to helping major brands navigate through the geek-infested waters'. "Nerdstream has become mainstream," he says, a super-force that exerts immense influence "over not only what we watch, read and hear, but what we eat, drive and wear".

Rotterdam calls them "firestarters" because it's their passion that ignites conversations and interest, focusing attention on brands. Firestarters are extremely social, opinionated and eager to share that opinion. Naturally, even brands which aren't endemic to their universe want to be a part of the conversation. But the cape-on-a-soda-can variety of marketing won't cut it. "It's a challenge to get the core fan to not only accept but talk, embrace and endorse. But, for instance, if an agency wants to create a comic for a brand, you don't get someone who can make it look like a comic. You get someone who can make it a comic." Alas, most efforts fall in the make-it-look-like category. And, at worst, marketers dismiss the superfan with reasons like "too niche" and "too small".

The Marketer Awakens?

Over 50 brands have inked deals with Disney Consumer Products for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Companies like HP, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Café Coffee Day, Hero, Lego, Funskool, Myntra and Big Bazaar, among others. Although not particularly clever or imaginative, these attempts are targeted at the legions swept up in the frenzy or simply suffering from a case of FOMO (fear of missing out). ICICI Bank, for one, is offering customers the opportunity to imprint their debit cards with Star Wars imagery. Says Kusal Roy, GM & head -payments & unsecured loans, ICICI Bank, "This customised offering is yet another compelling proposition. We believe that it too will appeal to our young customers and it will strengthen their relationship with us even further."

Furthermore, marketing efforts are usually restricted to properties like ComicCon or top-rated TV shows and mega film releases like The Avengersand Star Wars. Tribal structures with geeks or superfans or firestarters at their core, however, are built around everything from stand-up comedy and music to graphic art and B-grade Bollywood movies. In music, for instance, says Saurabh Kanwar, who was VP, content and communication, Channel V and now the founder of digital agency Flarepath, "It's not just the guys affected by Snoop and thugs from the Bronx. There are college kids rapping in Tamil and Bengali with a fanatic following. For brands whose challenge is content, these are deep rich veins to explore." Small, niche, yes. But think of the 300 rabid-fans who'll gladly take a bullet for you, Varma says, "this is the influential, buying public. Identifying and aligning a brand with great content — that's not flimsy or just nostalgic anymore — early means you won't have to kick yourself five years later."

Or, one could get Yoda to do it. Kick some derrieres that is.

Viva la Geekolution

Geek /gi:k/ — An unfashionable or socially inept person

(Modified) A knowledgeable and obsessive enthusiast

Geek out — Be or become extremely excited or enthusiastic about a subject, typically one of specialist or minority interest

- The pornographic parody movie 'Star Wars XXX' saw a 500 per cent increase in DVD sales since the beginning of December '15.

- In 2013, this is what the Obama administration said, tongue firmly in cheek, in response to a petition for the US government to build a Death Star; 1. The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000 We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it. 2. The administration does not support blowing up planets. 3. Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that could be exploited by a one-man starship?

- In 2002, Enron Corp's internal company documents released by US federal regulators revealed a strategy dubbed 'Death Star' by the company's energy traders who used it to manipulate California's power system to increase profits during the 2000-2001 energy crisis.

- One of the world's most famous and loved ads is Volkswagen's 'The Force', featuring a kid dressed as Darth Vader, who tries, often in vain, to use the force to move everything from a bowl of cereal and dog to the car parked in the driveway.

- The Force goes cray cray: Star Wars branded products include Lightsaber BBQ Tongs, Death Star tea infuser, limited edition mascara and Darth Vader vacuum cleaners. R2-D2 appears on the exterior of an All Nippon Airways (ANA) Dreamliner aircraft, the first time ever that a Star Wars character has appeared on a commercial airplane.

- In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his address at Madison Square Garden with the line "May the force be with you".